Spring



A. G. WICKER;

SPRING. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 15' 1921.

1,400,253, Patented Dem-13, 1921.

UNITED STATES ALBERT G. WICKEB, OF- GIN CINNATI, OHIO.

SPRING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 15, 1921. Serial No. 477,808.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, ALBERT G. VVIoxER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Springs, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to springs for general purposes, among others for vehicles, spring seats, shock absorbers, and other heavy duty, as well as light duty.

In the spring art, so far as. I am advised, one feature which is desirable is that the spring be free to move at. all points and not fixed, since otherwise the continual strain adjacent the point of fixed attachment will inevitably result in the breakingdownof the spring. Another feature which is desirable is to have the strain on the spring taken up with slight resistance at the first portion of the spring compression or distortion, this resistance'increasing as the compression continues, and after the-blow has subsided, to have the spring expand or return to normal again, slowly at first and ending rapidly, but without exertinggreat force at the final expansion.

Another advantage in spring structure is to utilize as great an area. of spring surface possible in doing the desired work at all 'times, as thereby the various parts of the sprlngrelieve each other of: constant duty, which prolongs the life of the sprlng and makes it easy in operation.

It is my object to provide a spring having all of the qualities above noted, and which in addition is capable of being cheaply and quickly made, and among other things, as I am advised of the art, I provide a spring on a novel principle, whereby a coil or coils arranged around a resilient core make up the spring, the core comprising in its simplest form a split tube of spring steel.

These objects and the advantages to be noted, I accomplish by that certain construction and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more specifically pointed out and claimed.

In the drawings, v

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the spring.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof, with the spring turned partially toward the obbe placed in, as shown in F g.- l.

. server from the position it would normally The spring comprises a tube 1 of spring metal, which has a cut-away portion at 2 to permit it to expand and contract as a spring, and around this tube the desired arrangement of coils, the ends of which are connected to the objects between which spring action is desired.

In the example shown, which I consider the best arrangement, a single piece of steel w re or rod is employed which is bent at the middle as at 3 and then wrapped around a mandrel to form diverging coils 4 of the desired number, and the ends 5 of the piece ex.- tended outwardly from the coils so as to clear them, and brought together as at 6. The tempering of the wire or rod will be done after coiling, the coils made of a size to fit over the core.

. 'Where the ends 5 abut at 6 it is usually desirable to mount a securing strap 7 and the extreme ends 8 of the piece are then equipped with any desired form of connection, preferably a connecting bolt or pin 9, which is suitable for serving as a member to be j our naled in a suitable mounting clip. In order to hold the coiled spring portions in assembly with the split tube, I preferably demountably secure on the periphery of the tube a block 10, which is long enough not to be in danger of twisting around, and which may be slightly concaved at the sides to engage over the adjacent coils of the spring.

This block I prefer to mount on the core by means of a bolt 11, which bolt is substantially diametrically opposite the cut-away portion of the core and the block acts as a spacer between the right and left turns of the coils, without binding, as well as preventing the coils from slipping off the tube.

WVhere the spring is bent at the middle it is slightly formed inwardly as at 12, so that when the core is slipped into the coils, the branching portions to the bend 3 will not contact with the inner coils of the spring upon contraction.

I prefer that when the spring is assembled with the coils' over the core, that the arms 5' and the arms at 12'extend at a slight divergent angle from the main body of the device, so as to be out of parallel with each other, but not too widely diverging.

While I have not shown any particular use ofmy' spring, I may state that the ends 8 may be swung by a suitable clip from the body'ofa vehicle and theend 3 may be journaled by a suitable clip to a vehicle frame. When so used the end 3 is formed with a,

Patented Dec. 13, 1921. i

straightened end (see Fig. 2) which acts as a shaft to be journaled in the desired clip.

VJhen in use, the spring will take upthe slight jars by means of the extended endsof the coiled element coming toward each other and the partial tightening of the wrapping of the coils around the core, a large proportion of the spring resisting contraction, although not with great force. The extended ends in the form shown are double in each case, and hence will. have great strength, and where pivoted or journaled to the bodies to be spring connected, there will be no point which is held against free movement. 3 When a? heavy duty :is imposed on the spring, the coils will wrap tightly around the core and the core will contract,'withthe entire body of the coiled member and the core member doing work, and the. strain progressively growing greater as the coils tighten'around the core and the core contracts.

The spring maybe termed full-floating, since its end may be connected to the interspaced members to be spring connected, by

means of journaling devices, and the inter mediate parts ofthe spring are entirelyfree of any connection.

It may be thatI will prefer in some in- V stances to make the coiled portions 01" the spring from two independent pieces, one celled to the right and one to the left,

' although for large or small devices I prefer the one piece, instead of two pieces connected together at their ends. I may also modify the form of the core without departing from'the spirit of my invention. Also the spring'may be readily and etiectively employed where either or both ends arosecured rigidly to the article to be springspaced, Also the angle of departure of the spring ends from the coil may be widely varied to suit different purposes.

. Having thus described my invention, what 1 I claim as new and desire to secure by Let.-

ters Patent,is 1, In a spring, the comblnatlon of a res1l1- ent core member adapted to expand and contract, and EtI'GSlllQIlil coll member wrapped around the core with the ends of the coil member extended for connection to the obects to be spring-spaced, sa1d'core and coil having resiliencyalong the-same axis.

. core to prevent relative lengthwise move-,

ment oi the coil and core. r

3. In a spring, the combination of a resilient core member adapted to expand and contract, and a resilient c011 member wrapped around the core with the ends of the coil member extended for connection to the objects to be spring-spaced, and means on the core to prevent relat1ve lengthwise movement ofthe coil and core, comprising a block demountably secured on the core and engaging etween the coiled strands of the (3011 member.

t. In a-spring, the combination of a resilient-core member adapted to expand and contract, and resilient coil member wrapped around the core with the ends of the coil member extended "for connection to the objects to be springspaced, and the core member comprising a split tube.

5. In a spring, the combination of aresilient core member formed of a metallic tube having a lengthwise portion of its body removed, so as to permit contractionand expansion, andv a double strand of linear spring metal wound in left and rightcoils over the core withthe ends of the double spring metal wound in left and'right coils over the core with the ends of the double strand extending outwardly from the coils aten angle slightly divergentfrom a parallel relation with each other, said tube being turned with its cut-away portion downs.

wardly, and'a member demountably secured on the tube and acting as a spacer between the right andleft hand coils at the central portion of the tube. V r V 7 In a spr1ng,'the combination of airesilient core member formed of a metallic tube having a lengthwise portion of its bodyref moved, so 'asto permit contraction and expansion, and a double strand 'Of l11l6ll spring metal wound in left and right coils over thecore with the ends of the double strandextending outwardly from the coils at an angle slightly divergent from a parallel relation with each ot or, said tube being turned .with its cut-away portion downwardly, and a member demountably secured on the tubeand acting as a spacer-between V the right and left hand coils at the central portion of the tube, said'demountable member comprising a block and a bolt or the like to secure it to the tube, said bolt andblock being set substantially opposite the cut-away portion ofthe tube.

. ,n EeT o. mm; 

